Ideation App

NHLBI wants to build a streamlined system that will trace a grant from when it’s just an idea all the way to funding. We were tasked with the beginning of this process. We wanted to design the MVP (minimum viable product) for an app that would follow an idea to an initiative.

The Task

Create an app that:

Helps scientists collaborate in development of an idea

Gives the ability to follow all changes made to an idea

Enables scientists to do a landscape analysis to see where there may be funding for similar projects

Enables scientists to search for and save publications related the idea

My Role

Collaborate with Project Management Office (PMO)

Research

Concept development

Personas

Sketches

Prototyping

The initial brainstorm

The project started through a few high level brainstorms between the Project Manager and myself following a briefing with the PMO.

We went through sessions to:

Understand the needs and pain points of both the users and stakeholders.

Create proto-personas and conduct an empathy map exercise.

Draw up a list of epics to present to the PMO.

Assumptions and Pain Points

Example Empathy Maps

Agile Epics

Wireframe Prototype

For user testing we wanted to test with scientists that would be using the app so we organized working groups and I designed a low fidelity prototype using Sketch and InVision. The decision to use such a low-fidelity model was that we wanted the group to focus on the functionality rather than the design itself.